Based on single-cell sequencing analysis of CD4+ T cells and B cells in patients with lupus nephritis, the heterogeneity of these cells was investigated.

Utilizing single-cell technology to analyze the heterogeneity of CD4+ T cells and B cells in patients with lupus nephritis.We have delineated the immune cell profile of PBMC in LN patients, and focused on describing the heterogeneity characteristics of CD4+ T cells and B cells. Some specific cell subtypes and ligand-receptor pairs were identified, which indicate potential therapeutic targets for lupus erythematosus. Overall design: Under the condition of informed consent, this study conducted single-cell transcriptome sequencing on PBMC samples from 3 patients with LN and 3 healthy controls (HC), aiming to explore the conditions of LN CD4+ T cells and B cells. Firstly, the cells were classified into immune cell clusters through cell dimensionality reduction and clustering. Then, further subdivisions were made for CD4+ T and B cells. Using differential analysis and public data, the Maker genes that affected LN CD4+ T and B cells were identified. Subsequently, GO, KEGG, and GSEA enrichment analyses were used to conduct functional analysis of the differentially expressed genes in LN patients.

本研究采用单细胞技术，分析狼疮肾炎（lupus nephritis, LN）患者体内CD4+T细胞与B细胞的异质性。我们已绘制LN患者外周血单个核细胞（peripheral blood mononuclear cell, PBMC）的免疫细胞图谱，并重点阐述CD4+T细胞与B细胞的异质性特征。本研究鉴定出若干特异性细胞亚型与配体-受体对，为红斑狼疮的潜在治疗靶点提供了候选方向。
实验整体设计：本研究在获得受试者知情同意的前提下，对3例LN患者与3例健康对照（healthy controls, HC）的PBMC样本实施单细胞转录组测序，旨在探究LN患者CD4+T细胞与B细胞的特征。首先通过细胞降维与聚类分析，将细胞划分为免疫细胞簇；随后针对CD4+T细胞与B细胞开展进一步细分。借助差异表达分析与公共数据集，本研究鉴定出调控LN患者CD4+T细胞与B细胞的标记基因。随后通过GO、KEGG及GSEA富集分析，对LN患者的差异表达基因开展功能富集分析。